putting transmission in neutral

[Philip2]

Does anyone put the transmission in neutral when stopped for say more than 20 seconds. In the old days I was told this would extend the life of the transmission. Don't know if the gear shifting would cause more harm than good though

 

[PMCErnie]

Neutral is for car washes.

 

[Mr. Incredible]

why? you have auto-hold braking system, zero point to putting it into neutral.


neutral is for towing, pushing, pulling (like in a car wash as mentioned), or safely bringing the car to a stop in a stuck throttle or failed brake situation.

Neutral shouldn't be used for any other purpose, it puts strain on the brakes and torque converter when used while the vehicle is in motion, and doesn't provide you with the control necessary to escape a possible collision when you are stopped and some fool runs a light or comes up to fast behind you.

 

[EdP]

Does anyone put the transmission in neutral when stopped for say more than 20 seconds. In the old days I was told this would extend the life of the transmission. Don't know if the gear shifting would cause more harm than good though

Shifting in and out of gear can cause wear. It makes something move to do it. A solenoid, a valve, the shift linkage, it all wears every time you move it. Use Auto Hold and don't worry about wear.

 

[OlderGuy1stGenesis]

Does anyone put the transmission in neutral when stopped for say more than 20 seconds. In the old days I was told this would extend the life of the transmission. Don't know if the gear shifting would cause more harm than good though

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I would not for 20 seconds. There would be no point.

However let's say you are waiting for 14 minutes at a train crossing. Your transmission is engaged in drive and that means your torque converter split halves are turning at different rates, CREATING HEAT ! (Transmission side is stopped, engine side is rotating) So I would argue that just waiting there in gear creates more heat and will RAISE THE FLUID TEMPERATURE.

In general, first monitor fluid temperature leaving the transmission and returning. You are shooting for no higher than 180 F. For every five degrees you go above that, fluid is proportionally breaking down. If allowed by the manufacturer, the extra automatic transmission cooler is your friend.

So I shut my engine off in neutral or park position if I have a 14 minute train.

But let's use a different example. You get stuck in mud or sand or snow and ice and try to drive your way out. That is not the way to do it ! If you can't get out in 120 seconds, put the transmission into park, let it idle for three minutes to allow the transmission fluid to circulate and to cool and lubricate clutches, bands, etc. ''somewhat'' , then shut the engine off, and get a tow truck and save your transmission.

I have worked in an automatic transmission shop. I can can tell you about the ones who Macho/Mano were going to drive their way out of sand, simply because they had a V-8. They replaced their burned out automatic instead.

One guy in Montreal, Canada had a rear wheel drive GM product stuck in snow and ice. He put the peddle of his large V-8 to the floor, and the standard differential spun ONE wheel at 80 mph until it ''caught'' and then blew up the spider gears which then went crunch in the ring and pinion gears and left 2 lbs of crunched metal in the left and right axle housings.

That didn't go well for him.

What I do recommend (other than changing fluid and automatic transmission filters), is adding a powerful inline transmission fluid/metal filter (powerful magnets) as one of the most cost effective things you could do. It can go in inlet or outlet, but I prefer outlet returning to the transmission.

Been there, done that.

 

[Mr. Incredible]

Yes for long trains, or even a long light with backed up traffic when you sit through the light 2-3 times. I just shut the car off. Not worth wasting the gas much less overheating anything knowing you are not going to move, and no point in inching up when everyone else does, again knowing you aren’t going anywhere.

 

[Lelantos]

I would be afraid that with my luck I would accidentally hit the shifter and end up running into someone. Either hold down the brake or put it into park.

 

[Philip2]

What I was thinking of is that if you're in drive and the brake is on, I would assume there is some sort of friction going on in the automatic transmission that can be eliminated by switching to N.

 

[EdP]

What I was thinking of is that if you're in drive and the brake is on, I would assume there is some sort of friction going on in the automatic transmission that can be eliminated by switching to N.

Yes, the torque converter. It is more a liquid coupling than wear surfaces.

There is no gain to shifting to N when stopped. It won't harm anything or use more fuel to just leave it. The nice thing with Genesis is that you have "Auto Hold" that keeps the brake on for you to prevent rolling, a really nice feature.

By shifting gears you are probably putting more wear on everything that is used to put the car in gear. You can wear linkage, solenoids and/or valves. Sooner or later you will step on the gas before you shift and either sit there looking silly or slam into gear at high rpm stressing the drive train. It adds to the amount of work to drive for no good reason.

The person that told you to shift to neutral probably also told you after staring and getting ready to drive to hit the gas to knock off the choke to slow the idle. Once a week check the water in the battery too. It isn't 1963 any more.

 

[PMCErnie]

What I was thinking of is that if you're in drive and the brake is on, I would assume there is some sort of friction going on in the automatic transmission that can be eliminated by switching to N.

“Some sort of friction going on in the automatic transmission?” Sorry, but I can’t stop laughing.

Keeping the vehicle in gear is the name of the game. Gears accelerate the car, as well as reduce the speed and slow the car. For basic control purposes, you ALWAYS want to be in gear when moving.

I’m guessing you never drove a manual transmission car. If you did you would know this. An automatic transmission does the gear selection for you. That’s why it exists. Put your car in gear and drive it.

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[emilymoore]

why? you have auto-hold braking system, zero point to putting it into neutral.


neutral is for towing, pushing, pulling (like in a car wash as mentioned), or safely bringing the car to a stop in a stuck throttle or failed brake situation.

Neutral shouldn't be used for any other purpose, it puts strain on the brakes and torque converter when used while the vehicle is in motion, and doesn't provide you with the control necessary to escape a possible collision when you are stopped and some fool runs a light or comes up to fast behind you.

yes, you are right and I agree with your thoughts thanks for sharing their experience

 

[OlderGuy1stGenesis]

What I was thinking of is that if you're in drive and the brake is on, I would assume there is some sort of friction going on in the automatic transmission that can be eliminated by switching to N.

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At the traffic light, yes, band and clutches are applied along with half of the engine torque converter NOT TURNING: (the car is not moving) so transmission TEMPERATURES will rise. The friction is the oil pressure holding bands, clutches, etc. That is the argument for not doing that.

However, in neutral or park, if the engine is running, all these parts are FREEWHEELING, the automatic transmission oil pump is still pumping and lubricating AND COOLING everything. But there is no pressure applied to bands or clutches holding planitaries, sun gear sections, drum sections, and so on. So some energy is being lost, but nothing experiences any real wear.

So over 30 minutes we will see a steady temperature increase but the rise will be slower than when fully in gear and not moving.